


Snowblind

by Silent_Skies



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AU, F/F, Little Red Riding Hood AU, Mild Angst, Minor Character Death, Wolf!Historia, slight gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-05-27 03:41:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15015890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silent_Skies/pseuds/Silent_Skies
Summary: During a harsh snowstorm, Ymir is reluctantly sent out to deliver food and medicine to her bedridden grandmother by her mother, only to find her grandmother dead, ripped up by what has to be an animal. While heading back home to tell her mother the dire news, she comes across an extremely peculiar girl not far from the scene of the crime, lying unconscious in the snow.





	Snowblind

Ymir lay sprawled out along a worn leather couch, one leg over the couch’s arm, and one arm touching the faded, dusty carpet, which was carrying dust from the floors of the old, dim-lit cabin. The musty air was cold, and the only warmth in the house came from the old fireplace, which cast it’s warmth to the half of her face that was turned to it. Outside, snow had piled up from last night’s snowstorm, but was now slowly falling in light flakes outside the window, tossed around by the powerful gusts of wind. Ymir was asleep, a crocheted blanket messily draped over her. She was even beginning to drool from having her mouth open. 

Boots stomped along the creaky stairs as Ymir slept, shaking dust off of a nearby shelf as heavy footsteps stomped down the weak staircase. The tall, lanky figure of Ymir’s mother, Helena, approached Ymir’s sleeping figure and gave her a quick flick over the head. “Oi! Get up! You’re needed.” Helena stepped back, watching Ymir slowly get up and rub her head with a disapproving glare. 

“God damn, what do you want from me now?” Ymir grumbled, rubbing her head and looking up at her mother with exhausted and tired eyes. “It’s your grandmother.” Helena stated. “She’s sick and snowed in.” Ymir tiredly grabbed her hair clip and forced the long parts of her hair into a messy ponytail. “And? What am I supposed to do about it?” She groaned sleepily, before receiving a whack on the head from her mother, which fully jolted her awake. “Do not speak of your grandmother like that! I’ve packed your bag with food and medicine already. Go check up on her and give her some good company.” She scolded.

Ymir sighed. “Alright, alright, I’m going.” she groaned, getting up from her seat on the couch and slipping her furred boots on. Helena walked away to go tend to other matters in the kitchen. “Take the shortcut through the woods! I’ll be out getting firewood from the market if you need me.” She shouted from the nearby kitchen. Ymir rolled her eyes. “As if I’ll need your help any time.” she muttered crudely under her breath. 

Her mother would always send her out on chores, and she hated it. She never got more than a few hours to herself at a time without her mother making her do some absurd task. She had gotten used to it by now, but it still irked her when she would finally have time to herself only to be interrupted to have to fetch firewood or help cook dinner. As much as she hated these constant tasks, the quicker she’d get them done, the more time she’d have to herself after this. She got up, taking a grey wool scarf and gloves from the coat rack by the door, and hurriedly throwing them on. She threw her bag over her shoulder and grabbed her crimson hooded cape from the coat rack and securely fastened the button, before sliding the lock of the heavy door.

As soon as she opened the door, a blast of cold air hit her in the face, making her reach for her hood in the doorway. Ymir looked down, noticing that snow had piled up in front of the door. She sighed in annoyance, kicking down the thick snow around the door and scattering it, but another gust of wind made the scattered snow come back and hit her. It had gotten significantly windy, and Ymir could feel the cold seeping into her clothes already. But she was desperate to just get this over with, so she closed the cabin door and started walking. 

The large, open field around her house was covered in a blanket of fresh snow, and was bordered all around by the snow-dusted forest trees. Any man-made road or path that had been established was completely covered up by the thick snow. She continued on, trudging through the snow, which was up to her calves. She had to squint through the falling snow to even see where she was going. Eventually, she reached the forest, an area that would usually have a path to be walked upon, but was covered in snow that made it indistinguishable from the overgrown forest floor.

Despite everything being covered in at least a foot of snow, Ymir had been in this forest long enough to recognize certain landmarks and what they indicated. It would be a short walk, about 15 minutes, but the bitter cold slowed her down. At least she’d be able to be near a fire once she dealt with everything her grandmother needed. She clutched her bag, which contained medicinal herbs and a few basic foods.

As she slowly made her way through the woods, she had started daydreaming to try and keep the fact that she was going to freeze in this weather aside. She just kept to herself, making a mental reminder to go a certain direction at the appropriate landmarks. But a sudden rustle of a bush behind her snapped her out of her daze. She whipped around, only to see nothing behind her, except for a few bushes that had had the snow rattled off of them. Ymir shook her head, disregarding the thing completely. It was probably just an animal. She shouldn’t keep herself occupied with such trivial things. Besides, she could see the outlines of the house from here.

Ymir picked up the pace, breaking out of the canopy of bare trees. But as Ymir approached the house, she noticed something was off. The snow around the door was already cleared. This intrigued her, because her grandmother had a bad back and would never be able to go out in the snow and shovel, especially when she was already sick. Ymir brushed the thought off. She probably just called a neighbor over to help her. 

Ymir further approached the house, knocking on the door. No one answered. She knocked again, this time louder. Still no answer. 

She sighed and began fidgeting with the doorknob. She pulled and shook it in it’s place several times before it finally twisted and let the door be opened. Ymir opened the door a crack, but as she was about to step in, a strong smell of copper hit her in the face, so intense it made her feel nauseous. And the smell was coming from inside. Ymir slammed the door shut.

Worry began to bubble in Ymir’s chest. Slowly, carefully, she opened the door again, poking her head through to take a peek at what was causing the smell.

What she saw made her stomach lurch, and she felt another wave of nausea overcome her. 

Her grandmother was lying dead on the floor. 

Her body lay in the middle of the carpet, her blood soaked in the rug and spilling out onto the wooden floorboards. Her bloodstained shirt was ripped open, and a jagged wound had ripped a hole in her chest, where the blood was still bright red. 

Ymir was in shock. Her grandmother was a fairly kind woman, she neither hated her nor loved her, and didn’t care much for her as she never saw her often. But seeing her chest ripped open made Ymir feel intense regret that she hadn’t treated her with as much respect as she could have during the time that she lived. Ymir took a deep breath, and released it, calming herself and swallowing the bile in her throat.

The wound was jagged and messy; nothing a knife or gun could achieve. Whatever killed her was definitely not human. The jagged wound could only mean one thing. It was an animal attack. But that theory puzzled her.

Because how would an animal be able to get through locked doors, and why would it want to kill an old, sick person?

***  
Ymir stood still for a few seconds, debating on what she should do. Should she head into town? Her mother was out and despite there being a blizzard, there had to be at least a few authority figures around, right? As far as she was concerned, it was her only and best option. She couldn’t just have a body rot in a cabin for several days. That’d just be inhumane.

Ymir turned away from the sight, adjusting her hood and taking a breath of fresh winter air to relieve herself of the nausea bubbling in her chest before she started walking again.   
***  
The walk back felt foreign and unreal, as if the snow-coated trees and bushes could disappear into mist at any moment. It filled her with a growing sense of discomfort, and even fear that lay heavy in her chest like a stone. Ymir’s head was down. She even felt a drop of sweat roll down her forehead. She was never this nervous. She couldn’t recall the last time she felt like this. She was never anxious like this. But why? Why now of all times did she feel like this? Perhaps it was the sight of the body itself, or the fact that whatever crazy animal that had killed her was still out there, in these exact woods. 

Ymir continued walking, shuffling through the snow at a heightened pace. She wanted out. She wanted out of this woods and she wanted to get as far away from her grandmother and anything to do with it. God damn it, why must this cause her so much trouble?

Ymir was unaware of how quickly she had been walking, and soon found herself exhausted. She walked over to the nearest tree and sat herself down, taking several deep breaths. Normally, she would have taken the food in her bag and eaten it, but she was in no mood for lunch. Ymir looked around tiredly. All the trees were starting to look the same, despite her knowing the way around these woods by heart. But something stood out to her. Something in the near distance was off. Ymir squinted at it, wondering if it was actually something.

Ymir couldn’t see much of it, but it was intriguing enough that she got up and began walking towards it. She couldn’t see much from this distance, but it could be a person in a jacket.

She carefully swatted the branches of bushes away as she got closer, and realized that it was a person who was lying immobile on the ground. Ymir felt a lump in her throat form. If this was another dead thing, she might as well just puke on the spot. Would this person be another victim of the same beast that killed her grandmother?

But as she got close enough to see it completely, she noticed that it wasn’t dead, and wasn’t entirely human.

It was a girl, lying unconscious in the snow. She was a fair-skinned girl with messy, ragged blonde hair, cheeks and nose red from the cold. She wore a dull green, patched-up sleeveless jacket on top of a white long-sleeved shirt that was covered in stains and smudges, and worn-out pants and boots. Everything about this girl seemed normal at a faraway glance, but as Ymir neared her she soon realized she wasn’t. A pair of thick-furred lupine ears were atop her head, one of which had a small tear in it. A bushy tail extended from her backside as well, both ears and tail the same golden color as her hair. And this girl was covered in dirt and blood, breathing shallow breaths on the forest floor.

Ymir felt a whole new rush of confusion and even fear. What was this girl? And why is she unconscious in the middle of the forest, of all places? She was obviously not human, despite having a mostly human appearance. Ymir kneeled down, and lightly brushed some of the girl’s matted hair out of her face. She took off her glove, and lightly tapped her cheek. Still warm. This thing was alive. 

But the most unsettling thing was the blood. She couldn’t help but think that this girl had played a part in her grandmother’s death. That thought terrified her, and she couldn’t help but shudder. But she wouldn’t jump to conclusions; while this girl did indeed look part animal, she wasn’t “animal” enough to cause damage of that scale. Plus, this girl didn’t look at all like some terrifying beast. But what was she going to do? She had discovered some kind of wolf-human creature unconscious out in the middle of the woods. She had to at least do something. If she was going to leave her grandmother’s body in her house, the least she could do is help out this girl.

Ymir sat and pondered about it while she studied the girl’s figure. This thing was going to die from the cold if it got left out any longer. Ymir didn’t have the materials to make a fire, and considering the poor thing was unconscious, Ymir could only assume it wasn’t doing too well. She was much more alarmed at this thing then curious, but she at least had to do something. She didn’t know why, but she really didn’t want this poor wolf-girl to die out in the snow alone. The only way she could ensure this girl’s survival was to bring her to her home. Ymir had no idea how her mother would react to Ymir bringing this creature into her home, but her mother wouldn’t be back for a while. She could at least warm the girl up while her mother was absent.

Ymir lifted the girl up, finding that she was small and light enough to carry her in her arms like a child. Ymir held the girl close to her chest for warmth, and started walking. It was much harder to trudge through the snow whilst carrying someone, but she slowly managed. She trudged up a hill and soon noticed the footsteps from her previous route, starting to get covered up by snow. She followed them back.

Occasionally, she would look down at the girl, who’s breaths made tiny wisps in the air as she exhaled. Ymir hugged her tighter to her chest, hoping the increased warmth would help her a little. She noticed that the girl’s body was unusually warm. Ymir just hoped that she didn’t have a fever. As Ymir now had a clear look at her facial features, she noticed that her eyes were puffy and her nose was red. Almost as if this girl had been crying. It was as if the more time Ymir spent with this girl as she carried her, the more questions about her came to mind. What was she? Why is she covered in blood and dirt? And why had she been crying? This girl obviously had a story to tell, and Ymir wanted to hear every word of it.

Ymir could see the outline of the house from here, and squinted through the snow as she made the final stretch out of the forest. A cold blast of wind hit, ruffling her cape and nearly blowing her backwards. Ymir regained her balance, holding on to the girl even tighter. “Hang in there.” She whispered to her, even though she doubted the girl could hear her.

Ymir reached the house, struggling to open the door with the girl in her arms. Eventually, she managed to unlock the door, and kick it open. She moved quickly to the fireplace, not even shutting the door, and gently lay the girl in front of the fireplace, which was still going. Ymir hurried to the door and closed it, rushing back to the couch and taking the blanket off of it. She kneeled down and slowly wrapped the girl in it, pulling it over her shoulders. She slowly slid her over, so that her body was propped up against a bookshelf. Ymir stared at her intently. The girl’s ragged features were now illuminated in the firelight. 

Blood was crusted on her clothes and face, along with some minor scratches and stains on her clothing. Her hair was matted, and her thick-furred ears were slightly drooped. Her clothes looked worn out and much too small for her, and several burrs and branches were snagged in the thick fur of her tail. Ymir was about to move in and rub her hands against the girl’s cold ones, but the girl started to twitch.

Ymir stepped back. She didn’t know what this girl was going to do next. Even though this girl was small, she was muscular, and there was an offset chance that this girl would attack her. Instead, she found herself staring into the intense ice-blue gaze of the girl’s eyes, who had just flew open.

The girl shuffled back a little, pulling the blanket closer to her as protection. A look of distrust and fear shone in her brilliant eyes, and Ymir found herself slowly reaching out to her. 

“Hey, hey, don’t worry, I’m not gonna hurt you, okay? Calm down.”

The powerful look of distrust still lingered in the girl’s ice-blue eyes, and for a moment Ymir wondered if this girl even spoke her language. That would just add another to the mountain of questions Ymir had formed about this girl while she carried her back to her house. But the girl released herself from her tense position, sitting up as to look at Ymir with intense eyes.

“You say that, but do you really mean it?” She spat, a harsh tone in her voice. But Ymir could have sworn she heard her voice quiver as she spoke. Her voice was soft, but was hardened by restrained emotions. Ymir sighed, trying to take the edge out of her voice. This girl was much more feisty than she had predicted, and she had noticed that while she was talking, she possessed a pair of very sharp-looking canine teeth. She looked less like the fragile girl she had carried and more like a hardened individual who was no less unpredictable and fierce than her animal counterpart. Ymir contemplated her next words, a bit more wary now. “Obviously. Why else would I drag you all the way here to set you in front of a fire? Because I had a moment of pity when I saw you out there.” She said, wringing her hands together. Ymir noticed the stone-cold look in the girl’s eyes begin to fade. “Really? Last time I was given this treatment it was just to get me on someone’s good side.” She stated bluntly, crossing her arms.

Ymir scoffed, adding a light chuckle. “You think I’d do something like that? I don’t even know what you are.” She answered. “I’m simply doing you a favor. You’re probably not going to be able to stay here for long anyway.” 

The girl’s tense expression loosened, and she lowered her shoulders. “You’re right.” She sighed. “I should at least be thankful.” 

Ymir felt a thin smile begin to form on her face. “You look miserable. There’s some leftover stew from yesterday I could give you, so you at least have some energy in you before you go” She said, leaning on the fireplace mantel as she got up. The girl nodded. “Sure, I’ll have just that.”

***  
Ymir had sat back down, watching as the girl ate. “So, what’s your name?” She asked, blowing off her steaming bowl. “Historia.” The girl answered, not bothering to look at Ymir as she helped herself to another spoonful of stew. Ymir felt as if the girl had gotten more comfortable around her, as her posture had slackened and her ears were perked up. Ymir also began to feel her former suspicion about this girl decrease. “Well, I’m Ymir. Nice to meet you, I guess.” She greeted. “So, could you tell me more about yourself?” She asked. “Like, what you are and what you were doing out in the forest.” 

At those words, Historia dropped her fork. She stared at the ground, her body beginning to shake, and put a hand over her mouth. “I-I…” She muttered. “I didn’t want to…” she mumbled, tears welling at the corners of her eyes.

At those words, Ymir’s stomach flipped, and she almost dropped her bowl on the ground. What could that mean? Did this have something to do with her grandmother? She knew that this was the least appropriate time to ask more questions, but she did so anyway. Ymir raised an eyebrow, exhaling heavily.

“Historia… Were you possibly involved with the killing of an old woman in a cabin in this forest?”

At those words, Historia lost it. She set down her bowl, tears beginning to slowly stream from her eyes. “Yes…” She muttered, sniffling. “I did.. I killed her..” 

Ymir immediately got to her feet, backing several feet away from where Historia stood shaking. Ymir couldn’t even begin to calculate what she had just done. The person who had ripped her poor grandmother to shreds in her own home lay in front of her, and Ymir had invited her into her own house and given her food. Historia had defied her, taking advantage of the food and shelter Ymir had given her. And Ymir was enraged over it. This girl was a monster. Ymir didn’t even know why she had carried her unconscious body all the way here to warm her up. She should have just left her in the snow to freeze.

“I-I don’t understand. Why would you do something like that? You didn’t even know her.” 

Historia was completely frozen. “I’m sorry… What I did was unforgivable, I know, I should have-”

“You think!?” Ymir roared. “You killed someone you didn’t even know! You ripped open the body of a helpless old woman who couldn’t even walk straight! That was my grandmother!”

Historia’s entire body was shaking. “I-I’m..”

“A monster!” Ymir screamed. “You’re a goddamn monster! I should have just left you out in the snow when I saw you! You-”

“I didn’t want to, okay!?”

Historia got to her feet, eyes glazed over and fangs bared. Her cheeks were wet with tears, and her nose was running. Her entire body quivered, and as she screamed, her voice was raspy, as if she was on the verge of losing it. “It was a life-or-death situation! It was a bargain, Ymir! A stupid bargain! And I regret every single damn part of it! I’m stupid, Ymir, I am! And if you want me to get out of your sight and never return, I’ll do just that! Because It’s my punishment! My punishment for saying yes to such a horrible exchange!” Historia stopped, her breathing heavy and intense, tears still streaming from her face. “I really am stupid.” She muttered. “I really am just a puppet.” she breathed. “A clueless and stupid animal.”

Ymir calmed herself down, loosening her shoulders. The incredible emotion on Historia’s face and in her voice hit her like a slap in the face. This girl’s actions were terribly morbid, but she didn’t want to do them in the first place. It made Ymir feel terrible about it, and it made her regret screaming at Historia like she had done. 

“Historia, tell me everything.” Ymir said sternly. “Tell me about what happened, and why you said yes to the deal.”

Historia wiped her nose. “It was a bargain.” she sniffled. “A stupid bargain. I don’t have a home, Ymir. I live in the village alleyways and in basements. I don’t r-remember anything about my parents other than my name.” Historia kept her gaze low to the ground. “A band of outlaws found me one night, and they promised me food and water for various exchanges such as stealing or delivering packages. I did them all, only thinking about the rewards that I’d get. These people were the only way I survived. I became too dependent on them, and that was my first mistake out of many.” She said, crossing her arms. “They used me for every task they could think of. But one day I was promised something bigger than no one had offered before. They said I would be promised a home for the price of taking an old woman out of her misery.” She whispered. 

“They prodded at me, tried to goad me into doing it. I said no multiple times, but I ended up giving in. I was too motivated by the idea of finally getting off the streets. I thought I could just finish it quickly and forget about it, but as I tore at her I just… I hated it. I hated the taste of blood in my mouth. I-I couldn’t do it anymore. I stopped hoping that she’d end up surviving, but it was-“ Historia broke into another round of crying again, but pulled herself together to say more. “It was too late. I hated it, Ymir, I hated it!” She sniffled. “I… I was so horrified with myself that I ran into the forest and lay down, hoping that I’d die out in the cold.”

Ymir didn’t know what to say. Historia’s story moved her, and with Historia’s crying face in front of her, Ymir couldn’t bring herself to think that Historia was lying. Historia had been forced to kill just for shelter, and was so grief-stricken at what she had done that she had tried to die out in the snow. It made her feel bad for Historia, and the horrible life she had that had ultimately led up to this. Ymir stood frozen, not knowing at all what to say. Surely, she had to see things from Historia’s perspective, and the burning regret and grief in her eyes told Ymir her entire story. She figured that for now, silence would just be the best bet. At least it guaranteed her not being able to say anything wrong that could further worsen the situation. But it was obvious to her that Historia was a much more emotional person underneath her hard and aloof exterior. It was obvious that Historia had tried desperately not to cry when Ymir had thoughtlessly yelled at her, but now she felt like crying herself.

Ymir sighed, slowly approaching Historia’s still-crying figure and wrapped her arms around her.

“I’m sorry, Historia.”

Historia was shocked at Ymir’s sudden reaction, but slowly settled her head onto Ymir’s shoulder, sniffling. “No, you shouldn’t be apologizing. I shouldn’t have done something so stupid. I-It’s my fault. I don’t deserve your shelter.” She whimpered. Ymir sighed. “Don’t be like that. I’m sorry they forced you into doing something like that.” Ymir pulled away, looking at Historia’s messy face. Her face was red from all of her crying, and a trail of snot ran down her nose. Despite this, Historia managed to let out a thin smile. 

Ymir furrowed her eyebrows in worry. The poor girl was a mess. There was no way Ymir could send her back to the streets. Historia would feel betrayed, and Ymir would feel awful about it. Obviously, her actions were still morbid no matter the context, but she could understand where she had been coming from. A part of her was telling her to continue being blinded with anger, but she decided to ignore it. A part of her doubted this choice, but the only choice was to let Historia stay with her. Ymir thought on that for a little. Historia desperately needed a home, and she had already proven that she would never want to do something awful like that ever again. Historia clearly had a great inferiority complex, but behind that she was incredibly sensitive and emotional. She definitely had an interesting personality, and Ymir felt almost drawn to her. But would she really be able to stay with her? Ymir knew that her mother hated it when she brought guests home without permission, and she didn’t even want to think of her mother’s reaction if she saw Historia. But there was no other option.

Ymir sat back down, wiping her eye. “Should I get you some water or something?”

“I wouldn’t mind.”

***

The two sat next to each other by the fire, not really speaking to each other, collecting themselves after the fiasco that ended in tears and screaming. Ymir took a long sip of water, trailing her gaze to look over at Historia, who had wrapped Ymir’s blanket around herself.  
“Hey, Historia?”

Historia looked up at Ymir. “Yes?”

“If you don’t mind me asking… How did you even cause that much damage to her?  
I mean, aside from your fangs, you don’t seem like you could do that much.”

Historia sighed. “It was my wolf form.”

Ymir blinked a few times, registering the information just told to her. I mean, if the girl could have ears and a tail, the idea of shapeshifting wasn’t too far off, but it still jarred her. “You can turn into a wolf?” Historia nodded. “Yes, I don’t like to do it though, it reminds me that i’m more of a beast than a human.” She explained. Ymir nodded in understanding. “I...I can see that. You’re not even fully human now.” Ymir pointed out that obvious fact. 

Historia sighed. “Frankly, I don’t really know what I am. Am I more animal, am I more human, or am I some hellish combination of both?” She said, adding a sharper edge to her tone. “I hate what I am, Ymir, I even tried to pull off my ears when I was younger. I’ve been trying to find something to live for all my life, but all there ever was another cold night on the streets.” Historia looked into Ymir’s tired eyes. “I know it’s stupid, but I don’t ever want to leave this place. I want to stay with you. I don’t ever want to see those streets again. I want you to trust in me.”

Historia sighed. “I know you told me that I can’t stay here for long, but I can’t go back to living out in the back alleys again. I can’t go back to having to steal and kill for a living. Ymir, please, let me stay with you.” She firmly grasped Ymir’s shoulders, looking her dead in the eyes. “I can’t kill another person again. I can’t.”

Ymir paused for a moment, before pulling her into a tight hug, breathing in the earthy scents of her hair and clothes. Ymir sighed. “I understand, Historia. I-I’m a mess right now, but I-I wouldn’t ever throw you back out into those alleyways again. I can’t. I don’t care if my mother hates me for the rest of her life for bringing you here. You’ve been missing out on what you should have had a long time ago.” Ymir broke the hug, holding Historia by the shoulders and running a finger along one of her ears.

“Home.”

Historia’s eyes lit up, and tears began to stream from her face again, this time of joy. Ymir stood up, picking Historia up in her arms, who was still grabbing on to Ymir’s shoulders. 

“Now come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”


End file.
